Veteran Bill Cantrell 'lived the best life'

Businessman, author, banker died on Thanksgiving, a day after 93rd birthday

Nov. 30, 2013

Bill Cantrell, a World War II veteran, received medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three clusters, a Pacific Theater award with three battle stars and a Purple Heart. / News-Leader file photo

He was a Marine Corps pilot in World War II. He wrote a book. He served on the Springfield City Council.

He was a clothier at Glasgow’s. He spent time as a banker. He had his own restaurant — Billy’s Chili & Bar Bar.

Cantrell died Thursday night, a day after his 93rd birthday.

“He lived the best life,” said Cantrell’s daughter, Robin Hogg. “I don’t know a man who led a better life and loved life more.”

Cantrell was well known for his tireless efforts on many fronts.

“His whole goal was just to better this town. He loved Springfield,” Hogg remembered.

Cantrell was an important member of Rotary. He was instrumental in the Downtown Springfield Association.

He so valued education that he did as much as he could for the Drury University Scholarship Fund — including dedicating all of the proceeds from his book, “Friends, Dear Friends and Heroes” to it.

He also took care to preserve the memory of the soldiers who fought alongside him in World War II. In his apartment, Cantrell had a museum of sorts of military memorabilia.

Hogg hopes to find a place that will keep Cantrell’s military collection intact for future generations.

“He had quite the varied career in the military, banking and local government, and he achieved a lifelong dream when he opened Billy’s Chili, a restaurant located north of Missouri State University,” said Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens in a news release. “We are thankful for his legacy of service to Springfield.”

Cantrell was on the Springfield City Council from June 1984 to April 1987. During that time, there were a number of ordinances put in place that established the procedures and policies for how City Council conducts business to this day.

Todd Parnell, the former president of Drury University, knew Cantrell as long as he can remember.

Cantrell was close friends with Parnell’s parents. When Parnell formed The Bank in 1997, Cantrell was one of the board members.

Parnell fondly remembers the time when the board was discussing what to name the bank. Cantrell had an unorthodox idea.

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He wanted to name it the Hanky Panky Bank.

“And he even got a few votes for that,” Parnell remembers, laughing.

Hogg remembered her father as a man who loved people. His love for entertaining and helping people was only surpassed by his love of dogs.

“He thought they were the perfect species,” Hogg said.

Kathleen O’Dell, now the community relations director for the Springfield-Greene County Library, was a reporter new to Springfield in 1977.

“I put my meager savings in Centerre Bank, but Senior Vice President Bill Cantrell treated me like someone with promise — as I believe he did with every person he met,” she said.

O’Dell said Cantrell took her under his wing, introducing her to his friends and civic leaders, eventually sponsoring her membership in the Springfield Rotary Club.

She recalled his chili, his war stories and his “invigorating tequila lime pie recipe.”

“I think I’ll make one right now,” she said, “and remember him always.”

Cantrell’s wife, Mary Alice Cantrell, died in 2006. She also served on Springfield’s City Council. She was a member of the City Utilities board and was a political science professor at Missouri State University for 28 years.

Services to remember Cantrell’s life are in the works. Hogg hopes to incorporate Drury, the university Cantrell so loved.

Although losing him on Thanksgiving Day was difficult, Hogg said she’s comforted that he’s in a better place.